


Pig in a Blanket Day

by thestanceyg



Series: Darcy Lewis April Challenge [24]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Terrible Parents, lovely sister, writing challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-24
Updated: 2015-04-24
Packaged: 2018-03-25 12:23:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3810289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestanceyg/pseuds/thestanceyg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In this sequel to International Juggler's Day, Clint finds out about Darcy's family.  (Please be advised that her parents are implied to be verbally and emotionally abusive.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pig in a Blanket Day

**Author's Note:**

> Day 24
> 
> Holiday: Pig in a Blanket Day  
> Prompt: Sequel to International Juggler's Day (day 18)
> 
> Again-her parents are pretty terrible. While it's more implied than shown, I want to make sure everyone who needs it gets this warning.

Once they got to the rental car lot, Darcy spent nearly fifteen minutes talking the attendant out of the luxury car Stark had reserved for them, and into the most pitiful looking car on the lot.  When Clint asked why they couldn’t go with something a little bit nicer since Tony was paying, Darcy had said this would raise fewer questions.  Maybe fewer questions from her family, but it was certainly raising plenty of questions for Clint.

When they were in the car, Clint attacked.

“Okay Darcy, I’m going to need some insight here, because so far you’ve just given me a weird sense of dread about this entire weekend.  What am I walking into here?”

“You’ll see soon enough.”

“Darcy,” he tried again, “if I was really your boyfriend, you would have fully prepped me for meeting your family.  In fact, we’d probably have had discussions about why you never went home for holidays.”

“How did you know I don’t go home?”

“Really?  How did the orphan know you didn’t go home for holidays?”

Darcy blushed deeply.  When she had recovered she said, “You’ve heard the term ‘the heir and the spare’?”

“Yes….” Clint said as more of a question than a statement.

“Well, my sister is the heir and I’m the spare,” she said as though that explained everything.

“Okay,” Clint said slowly, trying to figure out how to get answers.  “So why the shitty car then?”

“Because to spend money on anything better is an extravagance I don’t deserve, errrr, can’t afford.”

Clint frowned.  “What if we _had_ shown up in a nicer car?”

“Endless lectures about irresponsibility with money which is a metaphor for how I don’t do anything right ever.”

Clint nodded.  “Okay, what about no friends?”

Darcy scrunched her brow as she thought about how to answer.  “Most of my early friends were seen as a distraction from what was important.  So I just stopped bringing them home.  Of course, when you can’t really go out, you don’t have many friends anyway.”

“But boyfriend is okay?”

“It is now.  In high school they were ‘only after one thing,’ but now it’s important because I ‘need’ to get married.”

Clint could see the tension rising in Darcy, so he changed tactics.  “Tell me about your sister.”

“Bennie?  She’s perfect.  She was named for Jane Bennet, and I couldn’t think of a better comparison.  She is sweet and kind and loving.  She is supremely compassionate and a classic beauty.  Seriously. When she was sixteen our parents hired a painter to do her portrait, and he asked if he could put it in an exhibit.  Someone saw it and offered like a million dollars for it.  My parents let it be sold because they were so enamoured with the idea that someone would pay so much to have a painting of Bennie in their house. The painter gave them a quarter of the profit since the painting had technically been a commission, and they put it in a trust for her.  She has zero college debt with money to spare.”

Clint noticed that Darcy didn’t have even a hint of jealousy in her voice.  She seemed to genuinely love her sister.  “She sounds nice,” he said.

“She’s a saint.  Whenever she could figure out how to do it without our parents knowing, she would cover some of my college expenses.  She bought most of my textbooks online with hers, which was great.  Textbooks are super expensive.”

Darcy didn’t seem to think it was unusual that the money wasn’t used for both of them to get an education, or that Bennie spending her money on Darcy was, apparently, not okay if their parents knew.

“Look, I know you’re curious, but I think it will make sense very soon,” she said as they pulled into a driveway.

As soon as the car stopped moving, a person darted out of the house and wrapped herself around Darcy.

“Darcy!” the newcomer cried excitedly, still holding her tight.  Bennie (because who else could it be), pulled back a bit from Darcy and said much softer, “I know it was asking a lot for you to come, and I am so amazingly happy you’re here.  But I also understand if you have to leave.  Mom is, well, being mom.  Just seeing you right now is enough, and I mean it.”

“I’m here for you, and I will not let them chase me away when you want me here,” Darcy answered, pulling away and turning toward Clint.  “Bennie, this is Clint.  Clint, this is my sister, Bennet.”

Clint smiled and offered his hand to Bennet.  

“Oh, no!  You have to hug!” Bennie said, grabbing Clint’s hand and pulling him close.  “Please take care of her this weekend,” she whispered in his ear.  “I’ll help when I can.”  She pulled away, and smiled brightly at him.  Clint looked to Darcy and saw her face fall a fraction.  He looked toward the door where she was looking to see a Stepford Wife walking toward them.

“Oh Darcy,” the woman said, “you really should be more self aware when shopping.  You look like a pig in a blanket.”

Darcy gave a fake smile.  “Good to see you too mom.”

Clint gritted his teeth, determined to protect Darcy.  “I’m sorry you feel that way Mrs. Lewis,” he said, “I bought it for her on her birthday.”  He turned to Darcy, “Sorry babe.  I didn’t realize you were only wearing it to make me happy.”

Mrs. Lewis pursed her lips.  “I suppose you must be Clint.  Perhaps next time you should seek expert advice when purchasing gifts.  You’re always welcome to call me.”

“Actually, if I’m consulting an expert, I think Darcy would know exactly what she’d like.”

“But then it wouldn’t be  surprise.”

“Good thing I can call Bennie then,” he ground out.

Bennie smiled brightly at him.  “I like him, Darcy.  You should keep him.”

A appreciative Darcy looked at Clint and smiled.  “I think I will.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah.....so this is probably some of the most angst I've written (I'm all about the fluff). I actually had more car conversation and Bennie talk that I removed. There's a decent chance this one will get an expanded full story in the future. (But not until April is over, and probably only if people want it.)
> 
> ...prrrrrrrrreeeeeety sure tomorrow will end up being a sequel to Jelly Bean Day, but I'm not 100% on that yet. I haven't started it yet.


End file.
